Women’s basketball faces tough competition

UIC Flames women’s basketball team celebrates after winning WBI championship title in March. The team comes off its best season to face a tough non-league schedule this fall. Photo: Timothy Nguyen

The women’s basketball team faces a challenging non-league schedule this fall that includes road contests at Northwestern, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Illinois along with eight home games against in-state opponents.

The Flames are coming off the best season in school history as the team won a program-record 26 games and collected the first postseason championship (WBI) in program history.

For its season opener Nov. 14, UIC hosts Bradley for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Flames defeated the Braves,74-65, in 2010.

UIC looks for its fifth consecutive home victory over Northern Illinois Nov. 17. The Flames won their last road game against NIU, 66-54, on Dec. 31.

The Flames will play their first road contest Nov. 22 against Miami (Ohio). The matchup will be the third in the all-time series and UIC’s first in Oxford, Ohio. The Flames picked up a 76-66 home win over the RedHawks last season.

UIC and Northwestern will meet in Evanston Nov. 26. Last season, the Flames played a close match with the Wildcats in the first half before Northwestern pulled away for a 79-63 victory.

The Flames will play their first match against the Springfield campus Nov. 30. The Prairie Stars compete in the NCAA Division II’s Great Lakes Valley Conference.

UIC and SIU-Edwardsville will meet for the fourth consecutive year when the Flames host the Cougars Dec. 3. Last season, UIC cruised to an 88-65 road victory versus SIUE.

UIC and Western Illinois will meet for the first time in 21 seasons Dec. 6. The Flames beat the Fighting Leathernecks, 62-58, in 1994, when Regina Miller, UIC’s head coach, was in her second season as Western Illinois’ head coach.

The Flames travel to Eastern Illinois Dec. 14. UIC last played at Eastern in 2010. UIC fell, 63-62, to the Panthers.

UIC returns home to host Chicago State Dec. 16. The Flames and Cougars have not met since 2007, when UIC collected a 75-60 road win.

The Flames participate in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic Dec. 20-21. UIC opens play against Mississippi State Dec. 20 and takes on Old Dominion the next day. Miller graduated from ODU in 1984 and served as an assistant coach for the Monarchs from 1987-92.

The Flames return to Chicago to host Loyola Dec. 30 and close out their non-conference season at home against Robert Morris-Springfield Jan. 3. Loyola defeated UIC, 78-68, in March 2013.

UIC will play 17 home games this season, including nine Horizon League contests.